Honey Roasted Parsnip Soup

This honey roasted parsnip soup is thick and creamy, with a touch of sweetness, and plenty of earthy parsnip flavour. Such a good appetiser or light lunch!

Is there any better way to prepare parsnips than roasted in honey? If there is, I haven't found it. The honey caramelises around the crispy parsnips, which stay soft and fluffy in the middle. They're little bites of heaven.

This honey roasted parsnip soup transforms those same flavours into a thick and creamy soup, taken to a new level with the addition of fresh thyme, and a swirl of cream on top.

What's so good about honey roasted parsnips?

In the winter, parsnips regularly feature on my weekly shopping list. There's something so comforting about a roasted root vegetable, and the slight sweetness of parsnips makes them extra yummy.

Since they're slightly sweet already, a little honey goes a long way on parsnips - just enough to tip them over into true deliciousness, without covering the beautiful parsnippy flavour.

How to make honey roasted parsnip soup

Step 1: Roast the parsnips

You guessed it: we start with roasted parsnips.

I added a few things to the baking tray:

• the parsnips themselves
• wedges of onion (roasted onion is incredible)
• plenty of salt and pepper
• a few sprigs of fresh thyme
• olive oil (which is tastier than a flavourless oil)
• and a little drizzle of that all-important honey

Lay everything out in a single layer, and pop it in the oven. The parsnips will end up perfectly crispy, infused with all those incredible flavours.

Step 2: Deglaze the pan

Once you've scooped all the roasted vegetables from the baking tray, you'll notice a whole heap of crispy, sticky bits stuck to the bottom - little corners of roasted parsnip and onion, caramelised honey, fresh thyme leaves...

We don't want to waste all this flavour! It would be absolutely criminal to stick this pan straight in the dishwasher.

So, this bit's super important: we need to deglaze the pan.

All this means is, pouring some boiling water onto the pan, and carefully scraping up all the stuck bits. It's actually pretty easy, as the hot water dissolves any sticky bits, and means everything comes off really nicely.

Tip the deglazing liquid into a saucepan with the roasted parsnips. On the right hand side of this picture, you can see the colour of the water after it had been used to deglaze the pan - it adds so much flavour!

Step 3: Blend the soup

Now it's time to get your blend on. I generally like to use a hand blender (like this one: Amazon UK* / Amazon US*) to make soup, as it means you can blend right in the saucepan, which is generally easier than transferring everything to an upright blender. For this particular soup though, it doesn't really matter what type of blender you use.

You'll need to add a bit more vegetable stock to thin out the soup - just add however much you need to get your desired consistency.

How to serve parsnip soup

The soup should now be thick and creamy, earthy yet sweet - really delicious. You could quite easily scoop it into bowls, and eat it as is.

However, if I've made my soup for guests or any sort of special occasion (perhaps even Christmas dinner?), I like to serve it with a swirl of cream on top - purely because it looks beautiful. The contrast of the white cream against the orangey brown soup is really pretty.

A few additional thyme leaves on top also make it look a bit more fancy!

What to serve with parsnip soup

Since this is a super simple soup, you don't need to go over the top with your side dishes. Some crusty bread and butter is ideal - I like to use those baguettes that you heat up in the oven, as it makes them extra crispy, and means the butter melts nicely.

Garlic bread would be pretty amazing dipped in this too... but then, I'm always happy for an excuse to eat garlic bread.

Honey Roasted Parsnip Soup

This honey roasted parsnip soup is thick and creamy, with a touch of sweetness, and plenty of earthy parsnip flavour. Such a good appetiser or light lunch!

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5 from 5 votes

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Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Servings: 2 bowls

Calories: 240kcal

Author: Becca Heyes

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Ingredients

• ▢ 300 g parsnips (~ 2 large parsnips)
• ▢ 1 onion
• ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ 1 tablespoon honey
• ▢ Salt
• ▢ Black pepper
• ▢ Few sprigs fresh thyme
• ▢ 750 ml (~ 3 cups) hot vegetable stock or water
• ▢ 2 tablespoon cream, to serve (optional)

Instructions

• Peel the parsnips, and cut them into finger-sized sticks. Peel the onion, and cut it into a few wedges.
• Lay the vegetables on a baking tray (make sure you use one with raised sides), and drizzle with olive oil and honey. Sprinkle over plenty of salt and pepper, and mix to combine. Spread the vegetables out into a single layer, and lay a few sprigs of fresh thyme on top.
• Roast at 190°C (Gas Mark 5 / 375°F) for around 30 minutes, stirring once halfway.
• When the vegetables are crispy, remove any thick thyme stalks from the tray (you can leave the leaves or any thin stalks). Then transfer the veg to a large saucepan (if using a hand blender), or straight into an upright blender.
• To deglaze the pan, carefully pour a few tablespoons of boiling water onto the baking tray, and leave it to sit for a couple of minutes. Use a non-metal spoon or spatula to gently scrape any leftover crispy bits off the bottom of the tray, then tip the whole lot into the pan or blender.
• Adding additional stock or water as necessary (I used about 3 cups of vegetable stock in total), blend the soup until it reaches your desired consistency. If needed, you can place the pan over the heat for a few minutes to ensure it's piping hot before serving.
• If desired, serve topped with a swirl of cream and a few extra fresh thyme leaves.

Notes

Don't skip the pan deglazing! It's a vital step to make the soup as tasty as possible.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 bowl - Calories: 240 kcal - Carbohydrates: 52 g - Protein: 2.7 g - Fat: 8.6 g - Saturated Fat: 1.7 g - Cholesterol: 2 mg - Sodium: 112 mg - Potassium: 668 mg - Fiber: 10.1 g - Sugar: 21.9 g - Calcium: 107 mg - Iron: 3 mg

Nutritional information is approximate, and will depend on your exact ingredients. Please calculate your own nutritional values if you require accuracy for health reasons.

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If you love a creamy soup, you should definitely try my ultra creamy roasted broccoli soup:

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